“Last year started with an especially early season with a large number of severe cases presenting together over a short time, but every year we see many patients in our emergency department who struggle to fight off influenza. Don’t wait until you hear about an outbreak in your area. Get vaccinated now to protect yourself, those around you, and your community,” Biddinger said.

Biddinger blames the lower adult vaccination rate, in part of a perception that getting the shot will give you the flu.

“People don’t understand that the flu is a much more severe illness than the common cold,” he said.